occurrence
Americannoun
-
the action, fact, or instance of occurring.
-
something that happens; event; incident.
We were delayed by several unexpected occurrences.
- Synonyms:
- circumstance
noun
-
something that occurs; a happening; event
-
the act or an instance of occurring
a crime of frequent occurrence
Synonym Usage
See event.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of occurrence
1530–40; < Latin occurrent-, stem of occurrēns (present participle of occurrere “to run up to, run to meet”), from oc- (variant of ob- ; see ob- ( def. )) + currere “to run” + -ence; compare Medieval Latin occurrentia
Explanation
An occurrence is an instance of something or a time when something happens. If you get migraines, the doctor might ask how many occurrences of the headache you have in a month. An occurrence is an instance of something that happens repeatedly. The occurrence of Lyme disease is more frequent in New England than it is in other parts of the country. As soon as authorities see an occurrence of rabies, they send warnings out to people who live in the area. Sometimes though, an occurrence is a single event or an incident. If you and your friend saw a ghost in the cemetery, that would be quite an occurrence!
Vocabulary lists containing occurrence
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For these parents, access to others who’ve gone through the same tragedy is a lifeline and a rare occurrence outside designated support spaces.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
By all accounts, that wasn’t a common occurrence.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
By reconstructing how supernova occurrence rates vary with the ages of stars in different galaxies, the model helps scientists investigate long standing questions about the systems that eventually produce these explosions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026
While it's the first time it's happened to Mayman, whose stage name is Kylie Kush, other drag performers here say it's a common occurrence.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
A London physician, John Snow, mapped the occurrence of cases and found they originated in one area, all of whose inhabitants drew their water from one pump located on Broad Street.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by viruses, bacteria like E. coli, or microscopic parasites like Cyclospora are fairly regular occurrences.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
The department was taking the issue very seriously and was "committed to assisting in the prevention of future occurrences", it added.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
But in the last 10 years, there have only been three such occurrences, according to Dow Jones Market Data team.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
“It does appear to be a coincidence that two similar occurrences happened in corresponding weeks and this was not the mountain lion that was in Santa Monica last week,” a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
The facts which had previously convinced him now seemed mere chance occurrences.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
